


Like A Memory

by doublemetalaxis



Series: Old Memories [2]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Babies, Dorks, Dorks in Love, Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Genetically Altered Mice, Hockey, Ice Skating, M/M, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Modern Era, Multi, Reincarnation, Same-Sex Marriage, Science, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-19
Updated: 2014-05-24
Packaged: 2018-01-16 06:22:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1335295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doublemetalaxis/pseuds/doublemetalaxis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A modern story of dorks in love, and Eren Jaeger buying rings.  (Or, if you like:  Levi and Eren both remember their pasts, but are too afraid of bringing them up to each other and ending the relationship.  Whatever will they do?)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Déjà Vu

**Author's Note:**

> Just to clear a few things up: Eren and Levi are about the same age here, since I have taken the liberty of shortening the age gap to three years. That means Eren is a little older, but Levi is also younger: Levi is 31; Eren is 28. Also, if you didn't know from the story before this, I write Hanji using female pronouns (following the anime). This story picks up from just after the end of Let Go and Love Him. Also, I don't own the characters or Attack On Titan. I had a lot of fun with this, so I hope you enjoy reading it!

            Eren Jaeger awoke to the sound of birds chirping and soft breathing. He rolled over gently, trying not to wake his boyfriend.  Levi lay beside him, fast asleep as Eren dared to stroke his hair. His usual scowl disappeared almost completely whenever he slept next to Eren, transforming his face into one that looked younger, peaceful, perhaps fragile even.  Only when his lover leaned down to press his lips to Levi’s forehead did he wake, slowly opening sleepy eyes.

            “Morning, sleepyhead.”  Eren spoke softly, trying not to make too much noise so early in the morning. He received a hum in response.

            “What time is it?”  Levi turned over, so that he was facing the window.  The sun was nearly all the way up and the sky outside the apartment was pink and gray.  Eren reached over to the bedside table and checked his phone.

            “It’s 6:30, babe.”

            “Why are you up at the ass crack of dawn?  Did you even sleep?”  A bit of Levi’s frown returned.

            “I had an… unusual dream.  And you’re awake too,” he pointed out.

            “Only because you couldn’t keep your lips off me.”  The shorter man smirked as he shot Eren a playful comeback.  “What was the dream about?”

            “It was about you,” said Eren, “Us.  I was trying to confess to you before we started dating. It was actually sort of… sweet.” He smiled.

            “I don’t see how that’s weird.”  Levi gave him a confused look.

            “Well… it’s hard to explain.  We were in some weird other universe, in the military I think.  But it felt like I’d lived it before, like a memory.” Eren looked at the other man in the bed, who was watching him intensely now.  “What?”

            “Nothing. Go on.”

            “Well, Armin was there, and Mikasa…  even that woman who works with you, Hanji.”

            “Even her?”  Levi’s stare grew more fascinated, hopeful almost.

            “Yeah. And we all had the weirdest uniforms.  Covered in leather straps from head to toe,” he continued, wondering why Levi was so rapt. _He probably doesn’t remember… I hope he’s not weirded out by this._ “It looked like something out of a bad bondage movie.”  He snickered.

            “Like a harness?”  Levi sat up.

            “Exactly! It was the weirdest thing. And we all lived in some castle. I’ve never even been to any castles.  Isn’t it strange?”

            “Yeah. Strange.”  Levi’s enthusiasm faded.  “You… said it was like a memory?”

            “Well, it sort of felt like I’d been there before.  Why?”  Eren was confused.  Why was Levi so interested?  He couldn’t remember, could he?

            “Nothing. Never mind,” Levi lay back down under the covers.  “Go back to sleep.”  _He probably doesn’t remember anyway,_ he thought.

            “Levi…” Eren trailed off, deciding not to say anything.  _I wonder what’s wrong?_ He sent one last glance in his lover’s direction before closing his eyes and trying to sleep. Try though he might, he could not succeed. Levi tossed and turned in his sleep, and Eren wrapped an arm around him.  His frown had returned.  The taller man sighed, and slipped slowly into a restless sleep of his won. Levi had seemed to know what he was talking about, so why was he being so fussy now?

            It was noon by the time either woke, first to the discovery that their combined motion in sleep had expelled the covers in every direction off the bed, then with a start as they noticed Mikasa picking up said covers and a blushing Armin standing in the doorway.  Mikasa straightened up suddenly and turned to face them.  “Good morning,” she greeted them stoically. “I’ll assume you slept through your alarm today, but could you please refrain from more rigorous sexual activity before having company?  Armin’s face looked similar to a cherry in hue, but hers remained impassive. Levi glared back at her, and Eren turned into a sputtering mess upon realizing that, while both of them _were_ naked and they _had_ had sex the night before, the amount of tossing and turning from both of them afterward must have caused the scene to look much worse than it was.

            “I–we–you–” Eren forced out, the color of his face beginning to rival Armin’s, “It’s not what it looks like!”  Mikasa simply threw a sheet at him, instructing both men to cover up. Fortunately, Levi came to his rescue.

            “The brat kept kicking in his sleep and knocked all the blankets off.” Well…  Eren supposed this was rescue, despite his being a grown-ass man and most certainly _not_ a brat. It was half the truth, after all. “I am, however, a bit flattered that you’re able to recognize my sexual prowess so easily.” _I was wrong,_ Eren thought.  _This is so not rescue._

            When he thought about it, though, Eren supposed they deserved this, sort of. They’d gotten carried away and forgotten that Mikasa and Armin would be over the next day, and that Mikasa had a tendency to let herself in if they failed to answer the door. It had already led to several awkward situations, and this one was actually not as bad as some others had been. That, however, still didn’t fix it.  The awkward air of tension and embarrassment wouldn’t just disappear, much as he wished it would. Armin broke the silence.

            “So, um…” He hesitated.  “Would you like me to make you some tea?”  _You are a saint, Armin.  You are a saint and I love you._

            “Yes, please!”  Eren saw his chance and took it, ignoring Levi opening his mouth just in case he said no and they were trapped here forever.  As soon as his sister followed Armin out of the room, he leaped out of bed and yanked on briefs and a pair of jeans.  Levi stretched, yawned, and walked slowly across the room to grab a shirt, swaying his hips.  He broke into a grin when he caught Eren’s eyes wandering, confirming that, yes, he was doing that on purpose.

            “Why must you tease me so?”  Eren groaned dramatically, putting a hand over his forehead and pretending to swoon.

            “Because it’s fun,” the shorter man replied, putting on slacks and brushing his dark undercut back to perfection.

            “No underwear?”  Eren’s eyebrows shot up.

            “I don’t plan on needing it.”

            “Today’s going to be awful for me, isn’t it?”  Eren whined.

            “I guarantee, _Eren_ , today will be _long_ and _hard_ for you indeed.”  With that, Levi sashayed out of the room to join Armin and Mikasa in the kitchen, leaving Eren to slump against the wall and sort out his sexual tension alone. Once he’d finally managed to convince himself that maybe spending an entire day enduring teasing from Levi (in front of his sister and best friend, too) would maybe not be so bad, he joined them all in the kitchen.  And while Levi was of course merciless, he made it through.  And once Armin and Mikasa were gone, they had mind-blowing kitchen-counter sex, so it really wasn’t so bad.  But his mind was still occupied by the previous night. _Does he really not remember?_

            After they’d both taken a shower and were lying in bed, Levi stroked Eren’s hair until he fell asleep.  And, propped up on one elbow, he made a silent wish.  _Let him remember it.  Eren, please, I only want you to remember all the time we spent together, all the things we said back then.  It’s selfish, but please…  Remember that life._ Then, he slipped under the covers and fell asleep as well.


	2. Of Rinks and Rings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren is an ice hockey coach, Mike is a speed-skating coach at the same rink (and is also married to Nanaba), and Nanaba is a figure skater. Eren has an important purchase to make. At-work bro time ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I gave them jobs :D

            After a few quick kisses and several cups of coffee, Eren bade farewell to his boyfriend and left to go to work.  The brisk morning air hit him in a rush as he left the apartment complex and hurried to his car, a black Dodge Challenger he was quite proud of and kept clean and running to the best of his ability.  Work would be a drag, he knew, but he needed to do it or he’d never be able to buy that ring.  As he pulled up in the parking lot of the rink where he coached hockey, he ran through a mental list of the day’s classes.  _Pee Wee Hockey in half an hour until 10. Thirty minute break. Coach the adult team from 10:30 to 1.  Break. Private lessons at 2, 3, and 4. Help Mike with speed skating practice for his team from 4:45 to 6:15.  Then I can finally leave, and go home to Levi._ The last thought brought a smile to his face.

            As he walked inside to the locker rooms and began to suit up, Eren realized he was grinning stupidly and quickly schooled his face back into a more serious, professional, hockey-coach-like (angry) expression.  He ran through his schedule and sighed. How much extra would he get for helping Mike?  The man had agreed to pay him, even though Eren lacked his grace on the ice (but nearly made up for it in speed), and some reasonably famous people paid Mike.  Eren would get his check on Monday, and he could only hope all the sudden extra classes and offered assistance would raise it enough to be worth it.  _Only a few more hundred,_ he thought, _and then I can pay._   He finished pulling on his gear and skates and headed out to the ice.

            After a long and tiring day of lessons (the kids couldn’t concentrate, half the adult team was sick or injured, and anyone he gave private lessons to was a spoiled brat anyway), he changed out of his hockey gear and into one of Mike’s spare uniforms.  He figured the older man wouldn’t mind, since they were the same size anyway.  He stepped back out to the rinks to meet Mike, whom he found waiting patiently in the bleachers for the Zamboni to finish its job. He waved and the blonde’s head snapped up.  “Jaeger, you’re early.” He smiled.

            “Yeah. I borrowed this, so I hope you don’t mind.”  He gestured to his clothing before sitting down beside the other coach.

            “No, I don’t care.  How’s Levi?”

            “He’s great.  That thing his lab is doing–he says it’s going really well.  And he’s happy at home, too.”  Eren explained, unable to completely hide the smug look on his face when he thought of all the types of “happy” his boyfriend had been the night before.  Mike shot him a knowing look.  “So how’s Nanaba?”

            Mike’s eyes lit up at the mention of his wife.  “She’ll be off the ice for a while.  There’s someone she needs to take extra-special care of now.”  It would have sounded bad, but he looked so happy that Eren understood.

            “She’s pregnant?”  Mike nodded.

            “Congratulations! When did that happen?” Eren pulled his friend into a tight hug.  “I’m proud of you, man.”

            “We found out a week ago, he said, smiling and staring into space. “I think it’ll be a girl, but she thinks it’s a boy.  She says a girl wouldn’t be so hard to skate with so early.”

            “Well, happy nine months of waiting to you both,” Eren said as the Zamboni left the rink and they both got up to get started.  They walked onto the fresh ice and Eren let Mike lead their warm-up before the team arrived.  He hadn’t speed skated in quite a while and only really remembered learning the basics and deciding it was a boring sport.  The last thing he wanted was to perform badly in front of Olympic hopefuls and U.S.A Athletes.

            When the team arrived, Eren finished the lap he was on, straightened up, and waved at them.  Mike slid over, greeting his athletes.

            “This is Eren Jaeger, and he’s going to be helping me today,” Mike introduced him.  “He coaches hockey here as well.”

            “Hey,” Eren smiled at them.  “You can call me Eren.  I’d like to know your names before we start, if that’s okay.”

            The team introduced themselves, and the rest of practice went by without a hitch. Mike used Eren to demonstrate several maneuvers to practice, and then he was mostly on the sides after that, not that he minded.  He and Mike went to the lockers together to change once the team had left, holding casual conversation about how their students were doing and how it felt to be a new dad.

            “So have you picked out a ring yet?”  Mike asked when the subject of Levi returned to the conversation.

            “I have.”  Eren grinned, pulling his shirt on over his head.  “It’s a nice one, but not so nice he’d yell at me–you know how he is about people spending money on him.”

            Mike fastened his belt and chuckled in agreement.  “What’s it look like?”  Both men grabbed their bags from their lockers and headed outside.

            “White gold.  It’s a thin band, and there’s a rectangular diamond at the top set into the metal.  It’ll look great on him.”

            The blond let out a low whistle and thumped him on the back. “That’s high-class. You thought it all out, huh?”

            “Yeah. I can only hope he says yes.” Eren laughed nervously as they reached his car.

            “He will.  Don’t worry.” Mike smirked and pulled him into a reassuring hug.  “And you know if anything goes wrong you can call me, and we can spend a night just having bro time.”

            “Yeah,” Eren agreed, returning the hug and dropping his equipment bag into the passenger seat.  “Thanks, man.”

            “Anytime.”

            “And Mike?”  Eren began as he sat down and started the car.

            “Yeah?”

            “If you have a son, can you put him on my team?”  He grinned and pulled out of his parking spot, waving goodbye to Mike, who was shouting something about the dangers of ice hockey for young children.  He turned up the radio and smiled all the way back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will probably be more headcanons for jobs in later chapters. Levi and Hanji are research scientists, by the way, and they work at the same lab. But that's another chapter.


	3. The Only Reason for the Genetically Altered Mice Tag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry about the title. I just couldn't think of anything. Just ignore it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So just to clear something up: Levi and Hanji do work together. They're partners at a research lab called Survey Genetics, and Hanji's absolutely obsessed with it to the point that she sometimes experiments at home and brings the results to work with her. Levi, being the germophobe he is, avoids work everywhere but the sterile, white, pure environment of the lab. So when he complains that he's probably covered in supercharged bacteria, it's not really that bad, which is why he kisses Eren twice without saying anything. He just wants to be clean. If you wanted to know what names Hanji came up with for the mouse babies, they're Night Light, X-Man, and Glowstick (she has way too much fun with them). Also, the mice and the bacteria are in separate rooms, since I don't think I made that that very clear either. On with the story!

            Levi’s silver Mercedes pulled up next to the lab on Friday morning, its driver noting with interest the green Honda Element occupying the space in front of it. He raised an eyebrow. _Hanji’s back, then,_ he thought. He grabbed his briefcase and got out of the car.

            After changing his shoes, pulling on a lab coat and goggles, and putting his briefcase away, he entered the lab and washed his hands. He reached for the gloves when Hanji spotted him.

            “Levi!” She exclaimed. He winced.

            “Keep your voice down, Shitty Glasses.  If you yell any louder it might kill the bacteria cultures.”

            “Oh, don’t be so grumpy, Levi!  Aren’t you excited to have your research partner back?”  She approached the sink he was at and changed her gloves. “I’m not even a little sick anymore.” She grinned widely.

            “Good,” he replied, turning around and walking over to the microscopes.

            “Is something wrong?”  She asked, following him.  “You’re not usually this grumpy.”

            “He’s working a lot lately.”  Levi looked down, away from her.

            “Eren?”

            “Yeah.” He sighed.  Hanji sat down next to him.

            “I’m sure it’s nothing serious.  Maybe he wants to do something special for you and needs the extra money. I did the same thing, right before my six-month anniversary of dating Petra.”

            “He had a dream about… Back then.”  Levi busied himself with adjusting the focus on the microscope. “Hanji, I…  I don’t think he remembers.  He said it felt like a memory to him, but he probably doesn’t _know_ …” He shook his head and adjusted the slide.  “I probably acted weird, and now he’s avoiding me…”

            “Maybe he’s thinking the same thing,” said Hanji, picking a Petri dish off the table and jotting down notes in a pad.  “Maybe he does remember, and now he thinks you’ll freak out on him if he tells you.  Oh, how’s Gene?” She asked.

            “Shit, I forgot to feed them when I got here,” he swore.  “Them” referred to their genetically altered lab mice, Helix and Gene.  Gene, the female, had spawned three glow-in-the-dark mouse babies the day before.

            “How many is ‘them’?”

            “She finally gave birth yesterday, while you were out.  Three.  All healthy.”

            “Do they glow?”  Hanji sat bolt upright, lab goggles beginning to fog up the way they did when she was excited about something.

            “Yeah, they glow.  Calm down, didn’t I tell you not to drink anything with caffeine?” He teased. “Actually, can you go feed them and see how they’re doing?  The babies don’t have names yet; I thought I’d wait for you before we made any decisions.”

            “Aww, you do care!”  She gushed, getting up and replacing the Petri dishes before walking into the room where they kept the mice.  Levi transitioned to staring at their newest culture under the microscope, recording how it was doing (the fuck did Hanji put in there, the damn things were multiplying like rabbits on Viagra) before leaning back in his chair with a sigh. _She could be right,_ he thought.  _Or she could be wrong._ He spent the rest of the day taking notes on Gene’s new offspring (he sent Hanji back to the cultures when she started hypothesizing what would happen if her cats, Sawney and Bean, ate them) and organizing files on a clipboard.  Once Hanji decided she was done, he cleaned the lab counters, left his lab coat and goggles on the coat rack by the door, picked up his briefcase and street shoes, and left.

            He left the radio off on his way home, needing the silence to think. When he came back to the apartment, he found a worn-out-looking Eren sleeping on the couch and resisted the urge to squish his face.  “Hey Sleeping Beauty,” he said, leaning down to kiss his forehead.  “Long week?”

            “Like you wouldn’t believe,” Eren mumbled, cracking an eye open. “I thought Sleeping Beauty was supposed to get a proper kiss?”  Levi leaned down and obliged, pressing their lips together gently.

            “What does Mike have you doing that’s so tiring you slept _here_?”  He wondered aloud when they pulled apart.

            “I have to help with his speed-skating team.”  Eren made a face.

            “Isn’t that hard for you, though?  With hockey and everything?”  Levi asked, confused.  _Also, let’s not forget you don’t even like speed skating._

            “Oh yeah.  My back hurts so much right now I might die.  I think I do well enough, though,” he said.  “At least, Mike still thinks I’m useful enough to get paid, and nobody laughed at me.”  He got up and stretched, chuckling.

            “Maybe they don’t want to hurt your pride and tell you you’re shit at the positions,” Levi teased.

            “I don’t think you neglect me enough to have trouble with positions.” Eren wiggled his eyebrows and pulled Levi in toward him by his waist.

            “Oh my God, Eren, get off, you’re terrible,” the man laughed, pushing his boyfriend away gently.  “Do you know what I do for a living?  I’m probably covered in Hanji’s supercharged bacteria.  None of _this_ until I’ve showered.”  He made a gesture in between them to show how close they were.

            “That didn’t stop you just now,” Eren whined.  “Besides, even the air around you smells like Clorox and rubbing alcohol.  I don’t think you need a shower.”

            “Then you’re saying you’d like it if I smelled like harsh cleaning chemicals all the time?”  Eren was silent. “I rest my case.”

            “Fine,” the brunette pouted.  He paused for a second as though thinking, then asked, “Can I join?”

            Levi pushed him back on the couch.  “Hell no,” he said.  “On second thought, you reek of sweat.  Get in the shower immediately.”  Eren happily obliged.

            While they washed each other’s hair, they discussed how the week was going for the both of them.  Levi went first, complaining about Hanji and her obsession with the mice. “And she loves the bacteria, too. One of the dishes–can you believe–she tweaked one cell and suddenly the whole plate’s overflowing! She barely let me shove it in the freezer before it was too late.  She was ‘too proud of it.’  I asked her what she did and she said she didn’t know, she just thought it might be fun to switch a gene or two doing drunk science one night, brought it to the lab, and now they’re dividing like Mathletes on speed,” he ranted.  “It’s nice to see results, but that was really not necessary.”  Eren only sighed good-naturedly.  “So, how was your week?”  Levi said, cutting himself off before he could get too worked up.

            “It was okay,” he shrugged.  “The Pee-Wee kids are brats and helping Mike was somewhere between awkward and humiliating.  But, the adult team is doing well.  I think we’ll win the next game.”  The brunette grinned proudly.

            “That’s good to hear,” Levi said.”  “You’ve been training hard lately.  It shows.”  He traced Eren’s well-built shoulders and arms with his hands, staring appreciatively. The man only laughed, and laced their fingers together.  Levi turned off the water.

            “Let’s go to bed.  I’m tired.” Eren yawned.

            “I’ll bet you are, if you were sleeping on the couch earlier,” Levi pointed out. “Do you know how badly you could have fucked up your neck?”  He scolded, throwing a towel at Eren and grabbing one for himself.

            Once they’d dried off, they pulled on pajamas (though Eren couldn’t be bothered to put on a shirt, apparently) and fell into bed.  Eren let out a sigh of relief when his head hit the pillow and mumbled a quick “Goodnight, Levi” before closing his eyes.

            “What’s got you so distant lately?”  The man asked idly, turning off the lights.  At that, his lover’s eyes cracked open.

            “Am I being distant?”  He asked, emerald eyes staring up into Levi’s.

            “Well, you’re working all the time lately, and I didn’t even get a good-night kiss.”  Levi stuck out his lower lip exaggeratedly, jokingly mimicking a pouting child.

            “Aw, babe,” Eren reached up to stroke the man’s face, smiling.

            “Don’t even start with that sappy ‘babe’ shit.”  Levi complained halfheartedly.  Eren pulled him down and planted a kiss on his lips.

            “Good night, _babe._ ”  A smirk appeared on his face.

            “Good night, brat.”  Levi smiled tenderly in the dark, just barely and closed his eyes.  But something was telling him Eren was out so much for a reason.  He couldn’t shake the feeling his boyfriend had something to hide.  _What if…_ He furrowed his brows and focused on going to sleep.  _It’s probably nothing anyway… Right?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun DUN! (You can probably tell what's going to happen in the next few chapters if you read carefully but I'm going to pretend you don't know from the tags already)


	4. Time Passing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren's hockey team, the Stohess Legionnaires, faces the Trost Guards. Adorable boyfriends go out for a lunch date downtown. Weekend cuddles ensue, and all is right with the world–but feelings of apprehension are mounting on both sides. How long can things stay like this?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this feels like a filler chapter, but it's not. It actually serves a purpose: I wanted to allow more emotion to develop for both Eren and Levi, and also I wanted more time to pass (super original title, I know). But I tend to skip days in the story between chapters, since I don't want things to get boring and I usually only include the days with necessary plot elements, which is normal for writers as far as I know. But I wanted a chapter like this one to be included as a full chapter with the normal time between updates, so that the readers can sympathize with the way the characters feel time is passing. Eren's very nervous about this whole proposing business, so every day drags by for him as the date gets closer and closer that he has to buy a ring. Meanwhile, Levi is still trying to figure out if Eren remembers their past lives or not, and the result is a rather apprehensive man for whom the days are slower also. I just wanted to make sure you all got that. Anyhow, please enjoy this chapter!

                Eren awoke on Saturday morning to an empty bed, save for a note on Levi’s pillow: _At the lab. I just need to feed the mice, check some notes and then it’s Hanji’s day. Breakfast is on the kitchen table–good luck today. –Levi_

He smiled. It was rare that his boyfriend did things like this, but he decided he should be grateful. He pulled on a T-shirt with his last name and team mascot on it and a pair of jeans, and hurried to the kitchen. Glancing down at his watch, he saw it was already nearly ten. It was game day, so traffic would be awful, and he had to be at the arena by noon. Wishing he had more time to appreciate it, he wolfed down breakfast, threw the plate and glass in the dishwasher, and was out the door the second he found his keys and shoes.

                Traffic was hell on the way to the arena, so slow Eren wasn’t sure he’d make it before the game ended, much less began. He used the extra time spent in his car to call Levi; they agreed to have lunch at two. When he finally found parking outside the rink (thank God he was guaranteed a spot as the coach) he breathed a sigh of relief and dashed to the lockers. He arrived with just enough time to lead his team through a series of energizing pump-up exercises, gave them a few inspiring words, and sent them out on the ice. He spent the rest of the game completely absorbed, barely aware he was yelling himself hoarse as he shouted a mix of encouragements to his own team and insults to the other. His team won, and the lockers after the game were full of raucous victory shouts and well-muscled slaps on the back. Eren stood on a bench and made a speech of congratulations, then hopped down and apologized to his team for leaving so soon, but he had a date. He gave a strong high-five to each player and left, receiving a “good luck” and some catcalls. He laughed to himself and hurried to his car. Turning the radio up, he drove cheerfully to the restaurant.

                Sina Bistro was a relatively small, cozy place in the shopping district. It was out of their way by a lot, so Eren and Levi generally dined closer to home, but they sometimes came by for casual dates when neither had much to do. Levi had suggested it earlier when Eren called, and Eren had agreed enthusiastically, knowing his attire wouldn’t present an issue. When he arrived, he found his boyfriend standing outside, leaning against the wall in black slacks and a black dress shirt, clearly having come straight from work. There were pink and purplish lines on his forehead and cheeks from his goggles, still in the process of fading. Eren smiled and ran over to him.

                “Levi!” He called, getting the man’s attention before awarding him a kiss on the lips as greeting.

                “Hello to you too, excitable brat.” Levi chuckled at him, wrapping an arm around his taller boyfriend’s waist.

                “I’m only younger than you by a few years, you know!” Eren protested, taking Levi’s hand off his back and intertwining their fingers as they walked into the restaurant. Levi snorted.

                “That changes nothing.” He led Eren to a table by the window, where they both tried to pull out a chair for each other before deciding to just sit down without bothering. Soon enough, a waitress came over to take their drink orders.

                “Coffee, please,” Levi ordered. Eren shot him a glance of disbelief.

                “Sprite for me,” Eren requested. Once the waitress left, he turned and raised an eyebrow at the man across from him. “Coffee at two P.M?”

                “Shut up. You don’t have to spend hours every day in the same room as Hanji,” he pointed out. “Also, Sprite? What happened to being a ‘grown-ass man, as you put it?”

                “I can drink whatever I want!” Eren protested. “Besides, I need to drive home after this.” Levi nodded in agreement.

                “Fair point,” he conceded. “So how was the game? I’d have watched it, but there’s no TV at the lab.”

                “It was amazing! We totally dominated the Guards!” Eren’s eyes lit up, blazing with excitement as he recounted the Legionnaires’ epic victory. He was halfway through explaining his team’s courageous plan of attack when the waitress came back with their drinks.

                “Are you ready to order now, sirs?” She asked, readying a notepad and pen to take their orders.

                “Yes, thank you.” Levi interrupted his boyfriend’s tale of the heroic hockey players, causing the man to pout a little. “I’ll have a roast beef sandwich.”

                “Turkey and cranberry sandwich for me, please.” Eren looked up at the waitress. Levi raised an eyebrow as the waitress excused herself to deliver their orders to the kitchen.

                “Again _–_ why?” Levi asked, incredulous.

                “They’re good, don’t judge,” replied the brunette. “Krista _–_ that girl who hangs out with Armin sometimes _–_ she made me try one, and they’re not that bad.”

                “Hm. So tell me about the rest of that game?” Eren grinned and continued his story.

                The rest of lunch went by that way: Eren gave Levi a gleeful play-by-play of the game, and the black-haired man sat by and listened contentedly. After paying the check, both exited the restaurant to return home for an afternoon and evening of relaxation. They shared one last deep kiss in front of the restaurant before heading to their respective cars. Behind the wheel of his vehicle, Eren’s heart thrummed with the rush of winning the game and the anticipation of the day he would finally buy the ring and take a knee. In his own car, Levi sat uncertain. _It’s been a week since he had that dream,_ he thought, _and he hasn’t said a thing since then._ A shiver of apprehension threatened to run through him, but he suppressed it and brushed off the feeling.

                At home, they changed into pajamas and spent the rest of the afternoon curled up in each other’s arms on the couch by the TV, and then in bed. And in that way they passed the night, and Sunday much the same. For both men, the weekend floated by at a leisurely pace. But for Eren, Monday afternoon came far quicker than he was ever prepared for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all liked this one! Please leave reviews!


	5. Under the Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren pops the question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super sorry this one was so late! I wanted it done within two weeks, but it was really hard ;w; It won't be the last chapter (I plan on keeping this going for a looooooooong time), so never fear! However, it is the longest one I've written in a while so please bear with me.

            Eren left the rink jittery and excited, check and car keys in hand. He’d endured the insipidity of the office to ask for his pay there rather than in the mail (and it wasn’t like he’d sprung anything on them; he’d asked for this at least a week ago, so they really had no reason to take so _long_ ) and finally he was free. Until he got to the bank, which was also super boring, but then the only thing he had left to do was pick up his- Levi’s- ring.

            He reached Annie’s Jewelry by early afternoon and stepped inside, his nervousness heightening tenfold.  _This is it,_ he thought.  _I’m really doing this._ He hurried to find an employee who could help him go back and find the ring he wanted.  _If I asked the store to hold a ring, how do I get it?  I wish these stores came with instruction manuals for this stuff._  Finally, he located a bored-looking woman in a polo and a nametag lanyard.

            “Excuse me,” he said, “Can you help me?  I asked the store to hold this ring for me, but I don’t remember how they told me I should claim it.”  He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

            “Sure,” she said.  “Go to that desk over there and ask for a ring under your name.  They can help you.”  She pointed across the store and returned her attention to the display case beside her, wiping it clean of dust particles and fingerprints.

            “Thanks.” Eren turned and approached the other clerk.  “I had a ring put on hold a couple weeks ago, and I need to pick it up.  I do that here, right?”  He asked.

            “Yeah. What’s your name?”

            “Eren Jaeger.”  He waited while they found his name in the computer, tapping his foot.

            “We have it.  Are you buying it now?”

            “Yes. Thank you.”  He pulled out his wallet and credit card, handing the plastic to the man in front of him, whose nametag identified him as John. John swiped it and handed it back to Eren along with a receipt to sign.  Doing so, Eren waited for his ring to come out of the store’s back room. When it did, he took it, thanked the clerk, and left the store with the box in his pocket.  It only held a small band, but to Eren it felt like the weight of the world was set into the metal.  _What if he doesn’t remember after all?_ Eren worried as he got into his car and began driving home.  _What if he says no?  Of course this is going to change things.  What if I have to pretend I’ve forgotten our past lives forever?  I don’t think I could handle-_ Eren slapped himself in the face. _Now is no time to be thinking negative like this.  I need to go home, take a **real**_ _shower, and get dressed in something nice for tonight._ He turned the corner onto his street. _Then I need directions to this place._ He had received word from Armin that there was a wide, grassy field about half an hour’s drive from their apartment, and you could see the stars quite well from there. He knew Levi loved wide-open spaces, so the spot would be perfect.

            Pulling into a random spot in the parking lot, Eren entered the apartment building and took the elevator to his floor.  The ride seemed too slow and too long, and he tapped his foot as if it would make time go faster.  It didn’t, but at least _something_ in the elevator was moving at a reasonable pace.  A few people got on with him before his floor came up.  He nodded politely at all of them, but continued to stare at the doors impatiently.  When they reached his level, he rushed out of the elevator, down the hall, and into his and Levi’s apartment.  As he locked the door behind him, he realized he needed somewhere to hide the ring. _Where can I put this? It would be bad if he saw it early.  But where doesn’t he go in our home?_ The more he thought about it, the more he realized how few hiding places he actually had.  Eventually he had to jump in the shower quickly, before Levi came home, and decided to simply bury it under his clothes until he could put it back into his pocket.

            Not a minute after Eren had gotten dressed and wrestled his hair into a somewhat presentable state, the apartment door opened and Levi walked in. Eren slipped the box into the pocket of his slacks, grabbing his jacket off the bed and walking into their living room.  He had tried to look nice, but not _too_ nice: black pants, a white dress shirt (no tie), and a leather jacket. He resisted the urge to comb his hair back, lest his boyfriend get suspicious.  This had to be a total surprise.

            “You look nice,” a rather surprised Levi greeted him.

            “Hm.” Eren would have said “Thank you,” but he opted to give Levi a kiss instead.  Levi reciprocated the gesture, removing his jacket as they broke apart.

            “I’m taking a shower.  I ordered the food on the way here, so we should get it soon.”

            “Okay, I’ll wait for it out here then.”

            “Great.” The shorter man hung up his jacket by the door and walked into the bathroom.  As soon as Eren heard the water turn on, he sank into their living room couch with a sigh.  His heart felt like it was pumping at a million beats per second, and he couldn’t stop his foot from tapping on the floor.  He was almost grateful when the delivery woman came, distracting him. However, the presence of food meant they would have to leave soon, and Eren wasn’t sure he could calm down enough to drive.  He was nervous, very much so, and his hand shook lightly as he pushed some $20 bills into her hand and thanked her for coming.  Closing the door, he exhaled slowly and did his best to relax.  _This is it,_ he thought.  _There’s no going back now.  Whatever happens happens._ He carefully placed plates, silverware, cups, and their food in a picnic basket, setting a blanket and a bottle of wine next to it.  He sat back down in the living room and waited for Levi.

            In the shower, the black-haired man was scrubbing himself nearly raw, barely noticing as he tried to sort through his racing thoughts. _I’m sure I’m worrying over nothing.  He even put extra effort into looking good tonight._   He dunked his head under the spray, washing the conditioner out of his hair. _But what do I do if Hanji’s right?  Not that I would mind being married to him, but…  What do I do if he can’t remember anything?  I can’t ask him about it or he’ll think I’m crazy.  What should I do…_ He shut off the water and pulled back the shower curtain, grabbing a towel. _I can’t pretend I don’t know anything about those days.  But I can’t lose him, and I can’t ask him._ Levi’s eyes narrowed at himself in the mirror.  He dried himself off, mentally telling himself to shut up and get dressed.

            When Levi re-entered the living room, he found Eren on the couch waiting for him.

            “Ready?” He asked.  Levi nodded.

            “Let’s go.”  He grabbed their jackets and held the door while Eren got the picnic basket, and they walked to the car together.

            The drive to the field was silent save for the quiet sounds of the radio and passing cars on the highway.  The city lights faded behind them in the dusk, and as the last traces of orange disappeared from the horizon the stars emerged.  Soon, Eren was pulling off the road into the grass, stopping his car in the midst of a vast stretch of open plain.

            “We’re here,” he said, getting out of the car and walking over to open Levi’s door.  The man stepped out, picnic basket in hand.  Eren took it and set it down next to the car.

            “What’s out here?”  Levi asked, wondering why they were in a place so _deserted_.  It wasn’t that he didn’t like it, really; it was only that there seemed to be absolutely nothing there.  Eren smiled.

            “Look up.”  Levi turned his face to the sky and gasped.

            “Eren, it’s…” He was almost at a loss for words.  Only thirty minutes from the city, and yet the stars in this place were bright and clear.  No helicopters flew overhead; no light pollution disrupted the view.  The whole sky looked as though it was covered in a layer of sparkling cosmic dust, and somewhere in the middle the moon presided over it all, large and serene as it gazed down at Earth.  “It's beautiful.”

            “So are you,” Eren said, setting down the basket and closing the car door. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.  “Can I say something?” He blurted out. _Oh.  Oh shit,_ he thought.  _I didn’t mean to say it so soon after we got out of the car. Shit._   His face started turning pink.

            “Sure you can- Eren, are you okay?”  Levi put his hand on his boyfriend’s forehead, checking for a fever. He wouldn’t let it show, but he was also fairly nervous.  _What does he want to say?  This isn’t… anything bad, is it?  Oh God, but what if it is?  Then what? He’s a brat, but… I don’t think I could live without him.  C’mon, Eren, say something already!_

            Eren took a deep breath.

            “I’ve always felt as though I knew you in a past life.  The way I felt the first time I saw you, the way you’ve always meant so much to me…  But whatever our relationship was back then, I’m here to ask you a question now, in the present.”  Eren seemed to grow more nervous yet more determined with every word he spoke, face betraying his emotions and never breaking eye contact with Levi.

            “Yes, Eren?”  Levi’s hands flew to his mouth to cover his gasp as Eren sank to one knee, pulling a small box out of his pocket.  Inside was a ring, and in the diamond at the center the stars reflected.  Looking into the gem, Levi saw the galaxy. And behind it was Eren, offering all of it to him to wear forever.

            “Will you spend the rest of this life with me?”

            “E-Eren?” Levi stuttered, eyes wide. “You remember?”

            “Yes.” The brunette’s eyes sparkled as they locked with his lover’s.

            “Are you asking me to marry you?”

            “Yes.”

            “Yes.” Levi could no longer help himself. He broke into a grin as Eren slid the ring onto his finger, and it stayed on his lips as he pulled his **fiancé** into the deepest kiss he was sure they had ever shared, in either of their lives. _This is exactly the way things should be._ He smiled tenderly at Eren for the rest of the night, all the way through their dinner under the stars, until they both fell asleep in their shared bed, hands linked between them, band glimmering in the moonlight on Levi’s finger.

**Author's Note:**

> Wasn't that fun? Look at all the unnecessary nervousness here, those dorks.


End file.
